ABA-Required Disclosures

In compliance with ABA Standard 509, the following information about Cumberland School of Law and its J.D. program is provided to current and prospective students. The (AY2014) Standard 509 Information Report is compiled from the latest information submitted in the annual ABA questionnaire.

About Cumberland School of Law+

Cumberland School of Law, established in 1847 as a part of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, is one of the oldest law schools in the country. The law school was acquired by Samford University in 1961. Today, Samford University is the largest privately supported and fully accredited institution of higher learning in Alabama. Samford’s beautiful 318-acre campus is located in a suburban area of Birmingham, the state’s largest industrial, business and cultural center. Cumberland School of Law has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) since 1952 and has been accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1949.

The Office of the Consultant on Legal Education/Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar can be reached at American Bar Association, 321 N. Clark Street, 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60654 (phone: 312-988-6738 and fax: 312-988-5681).

Transfer Credit Details+

After a transfer student is admitted, the associate dean for Academic Affairs determines the number of law school credit hours that will transfer. A maximum of 40 hours of previous coursework may transfer. In most instances all credit hours earned in regular first-year law courses at an ABA-approved law school with a grade of “C” or better will transfer. Transfer credit will not be awarded for coursework graded on a pass/fail or similar basis, or in which a student received a grade lower than a “C” or its equivalent. Transfer students are not assigned a class ranking until two semesters of study at Cumberland School of Law have been completed.

Employment Data+

Individual employment summary reports for graduates

American Bar Association (ABA)

Admission+

The law school seeks a diverse student body that will make a contribution to the law school and the legal profession. To that end, every applicant’s file is thoroughly reviewed for admission. In addition to the LSAT and GPA, difficulty of major, personal challenges overcome, graduate work completed, scholarly achievements and volunteer and work experience are also considered. Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis, so it is important to apply early.

Fall 2012

Fall 2013

Cumberland School of Law’s scholarship retention policy was first implemented with the fall 2011 entering class. Conditional scholarships are suspended for those recipients who are not in good scholarship standing. Good scholarship standing requires recipients to maintain a law school GPA that would rank them in the top two-thirds of their class at the conclusion of an academic year. Scholarships can be reinstated for a subsequent academic year where a recipient restores his or her class rank to be within the academic requirement.

Generous merit-based scholarship assistance is awarded to Cumberland School of Law’s entering and current law students annually. In addition, numerous other scholarships are provided to those students who distinguish themselves academically, make outstanding contributions through leadership in the law school, or demonstrate financial need.

Tuition and Cost of Living (Student Budget) +

2014–2015 Law Student Budget

Full-time tuition* (Fall and Spring semesters)

$36,234

Room/board

$9,500

Technology fee

$300

Books/supplies

$2,000

Transportation

$1,750

Personal/miscellaneous

$3,024

Activity fee

$200

Full-time total budget

$53,008

Flex-Time program tuition**

$1,189 per credit hour

For a detailed Flex-Time budget, contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Tuition costs are subject to change for the 2015–2016 academic year.

**Costs associated with one term only of the academic year subject to change.

The cost of attendance, the total estimated amount it will cost a student to complete one year of law school, is determined using rules established by the U.S. Congress. Contact the Samford University Office of Financial Aid if you have any unusual expenses that might affect your cost of attendance.

Refund Policy+

All seat deposits paid during the admission process are nonrefundable. If a student enrolls, all seat deposits will be credited toward the fall tuition of the entering admission year.

Dual–Degree Programs+

The typical joint-degree program permits the student to apply 12 hours in the other program toward the J.D. requirements, these grades are not transferred to the student’s law school transcript. Similarly, a student may apply six to nine hours (depending on the program) of law school credit toward the other graduate degree.

Courses taken prior to matriculation in the law school’s J.D. program may not be counted toward the J.D. degree requirements. A student participating in a joint-degree program will not be permitted to count the credit hours for courses taken in the other degree program toward the J.D. requirements until the other degree is awarded following completion of all applicable requirements.